In this article, we take a look at the forces at work in Group C at Euro 2024 and try to come up with some predictions.

Euro 2024: Who will qualify from Group C

ENGLAND

To Win the Group: 1.44

To Win Euro 2024: 4.25

England already carry the weight of expectation from their supporters, starved of success from the men’s team since the World Cup of 1966. How will they handle being outright tournament favorites too?

The Three Lions might be ready to take the final step. Gareth Southgate led them to the World Cup semifinal in 2018 and the final of the European Championship three years later. While England only reached the quarterfinals of the last World Cup, they were knocked out by eventual finalists France, with Harry Kane missing a late penalty which likely would’ve forced extra time.

The mention of Kane helps explain why England are so highly fancied for Euro 2024. He is the top scorer across Europe’s big five leagues this season, and the top 20 includes Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer, Dominic Solanke, and Ollie Watkins. Jarrod Bowen and Phil Foden may be in there by the time you read this too. Some of those players will barely feature this summer or may not even go to Germany, showing the strength at Southgate’s disposal.

Doubt is never far away for England though. After qualifying comfortably, March friendlies saw a loss to Brazil and a draw with Belgium in which a 95th-minute Bellingham goal prevented consecutive defeats. The Three Lions should stroll through Group C easily enough but with very few knockout wins away from Wembley, there will always be a question mark until they lift a trophy.

DENMARK

To Win the Group: 4.96

To Win Euro 2024: 51.00

Denmark memorably won the European Championship in 1992, and while a repeat is hugely unlikely, they are a tough opponent who nobody will relish facing. The Danes were the highest FIFA-ranked side in Pot 2 for the tournament draw and carry memories of giving England a hard time.

At Euro 2020, the sides clashed in the semifinal, with Denmark only losing in extra time thanks to Kane converting the rebound from a penalty he missed. We have a head-to-head even more pertinent to consider, as the Danes faced Slovenia in qualification for Euro 2024.

The sides drew 1-1 in Ljubljana, before Denmark won the return 2-1. This was vital, as it ensured they topped the group when the sides finished level on points. As with the last clash with England, there was little to split the teams in either game.

The Danes’ hopes will lie largely with Manchester United striker Rasmus Højlund. He scored seven goals in qualifying, at least four more than any of his countrymen. Tottenham’s Pierre-Emile Højbjerg popped up with an 86th-minute winner in Finland, so important goals did come from elsewhere, but you can’t expect a holding midfielder to routinely deliver when it matters.

As they have won three out of three against Serbia in the past, it’s fair to expect Denmark to take second spot in this group. A team that frequently operates on fine margins is always susceptible to the random nature of football though.

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SERBIA

To Win the Group: 8.50

To Win Euro 2024: 81.00

This is the first European Championship for which Serbia has qualified since they first competed under that name. Despite there being far more places available at Euro than at the World Cup, they have reached the global showpiece three times out of four in the same period.

What we can see from their history at the World Cup is that they have yet to reach the knockout phase, with only two wins to show from their nine games across the 2010, 2018 and 2022 editions. They reached Euro 2024 as qualifying group runners-up, finishing behind Hungary.

This was down to losing both meetings with the Hungarians 2-1, as across the other six matches they had the better record of the two sides. Having also suffered a friendly defeat to Belgium last November, it gets hard to see how Serbia will seriously compete with the two better sides in Group C. Starting against England isn’t ideal either, as chances are they will be off the pace after the first round of fixtures.

The Serbs do at least have experience, creativity and firepower in attacking positions, with Aleksandar Mitrović the top scorer in their qualifying group while Dušan Tadić and Dušan Vlahović also contributed. ‘Mitro’ has been banging the goals in at club level this season but does the Saudi Pro League offer a strong enough test for tournament preparation?

SLOVENIA

To Win the Group: 15.05

To Win Euro 2024: 251.00

According to the FIFA Rankings in April, Slovenia are the third-weakest team at Euro 2024, though in the ranking of qualification performance which determined the pots for the draw, they were better than Serbia (as well as Czech Republic, Italy and Switzerland). Could there be any value in backing them to get out of a group for the first time at a major tournament, at the fourth time of asking?

Having drawn with Denmark and Serbia within the last two years, it’s conceivable Slovenia could take something from those games. Defeat to England looks inevitable, but as they face them in game three, Southgate may rest his stars if first place has already been secured.

But the issue has not been with results as much as underlying performance. The score across the two qualifying games against Denmark was only 3-2 to the Danes, but it was 22-8 on shots and 7-0 on Opta-defined big chances.

RB Leipzig hitman Benjamin Šeško was the leading scorer for the Slovenians in qualifying, with five goals. Andraž Šporar of Panathinaikos was next, with three, but joint-third was Own Goals. While Group C feels like a section where any of the second-to-fourth-ranked teams could go through, it’s hard to make a solid case for Slovenia advancing.

PREDICTION

England should win all three games. Even if they field a shadow side in the final match, it should be too much for Slovenia.

Beyond that, the game between Denmark and Serbia in the final round of fixtures may prove decisive. If both have beaten Slovenia, a well-timed draw could work out perfectly. Based on qualifying performance, the Danes should take second in Group C though.

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*Odds subject to change